I’m very excited about this interview. I’ve had an opportunity to get to know Immy through our mutual writing interests. She is both a wonderful person and an outstanding writer… definitely a Keeper.
Tell us a bit about yourself, Immy.
Hi! I’m Imogen (Immy) Keeper. I’m from the East Coast, born and raised and back here now with my husband and our son, who is a handful and a half.
I discovered writing when he was about six months old. It was something I’d always dabbled at in the past, but never really put on my serious hat. So, bored at home with a kid who truly took magnificent naps, I started studying up on the how-to’s and the how-not-to’s of writing. With about six active works in progress, I decided to knuckle down and focus on one.
It made me blush, and it made me sweat, and it made me cry a few times, but The Bonding came out. I had to get over the embarrassment of having people read sex that came out of my head, but get over it I did.
My first novel was just published, and I have to admit, I’m proud of it. Dirty sex and all.
Immy’s debut novel The Bonding: #1 in the Tribe Warrior Series
https://www.amazon.com/Bonding-1-Tribe-Warrior-ebook/dp/B01MZ5MMS4/
Queen-designate of Triannon, Nissa is both pampered princess and public servant with a future not her own. When her planet is invaded by alien slavers, she launches into space in a cryo-pod in a desperate search for help.
Tam, a warrior of Tribe Argentus, is brutal, hard and uncompromising and never expected to take a mate of his own. Yet when he finds Nissa frozen in space, suffering from a deadly disease, he knows he will do anything to save her.
Struggling for peace in a hostile universe, Nissa and Tam battle a dangerous addiction, warring factions and their own stubborn hearts. Their strange part-chemical, part-mystical Bonding brought them together—and just might be what tears them apart.
Reader Advisory: This story has graphic sexual language and scenes, including an attempted sexual attack on the heroine—no closed bedroom doors (or other rooms) here!
An adult science fiction romance
Do you prefer to write alone or in the company of other people?
Immy: ALONE! Sorry, did I shout that? Sort of. Seriously, I need to write alone. If my husband is around, I cannot focus. If the phone rings, or my son wakes up, I’m toast. I usually write in fifteen minute bursts, followed by five minute internet reward breaks, then back to another fifteen minute burst. Not timed or anything. I’m not crazy. But it just works out that way. Then I can edit for hours. But again. Alone.
What are your feelings on NaNoWriMo?
Immy: Pure. Unadulterated. Jealousy. I can’t do it. I can pound out 20-30k words in a few weeks, but it saps me, and I can’t produce much more than 5-6k a week after that if I’m lucky. I usually need a big editing break, a dip into another WIP, and some brainstorming sessions. If I could force myself to bang out 50k in a month and edit later, it would be amazing. But part of writing for me has been learning my own limitations, and I lack the self control and energy to stick with one WIP for that long. That being said, I’ve got nothing but admiration for the writers who can do it. They really couldn’t have chosen a worse month though, with Thanksgiving and then Christmas around the bend. Why not January? Or March?
Do you think true Alpha males exist in real life?
Immy: I married one. So I know they do. It’s not a hard line though. I don’t really see Alpha as a bad thing. I see it as a personality type. Male or female. My husband thrives on decision making, order, plans. He’s strong and smart. But he’s also humble and kind and generous. And I see all of that going hand in hand with his confidence. Insecurity breeds the sort of Alpha-holing people complain about. Confidence allows for a deeper level of honesty and strength.
In certain circles, Alpha has come to mean aggressive, obnoxious, posturing, and pretending, and I think they’re misunderstanding or misusing the term. I see an Alpha as having confidence and conviction. Without any false bravado or need to prove anything.
I totally agree with your comments about Alphas. What kind of female/male character do you like to read about?
Immy: I’ve spent so much time thinking about this question, trying to find the link between my best book friends. And I don’t know if there is a specific female character type I like to read most. But I like to learn from them. I like them to be unique and quirky and hopefully funny sometimes. Especially for the female character, I want her to be someone who’s decisions, right or wrong, I understand. Even if I don’t like them, I want to understand why she did it.
What’s your favorite character type to write about?
Immy: My favorite type of male character are Alphas. The good kind. My kind of Alphas. Men who are good and strong. Their power, whether it’s political, physical, financial, is innate. It comes from someplace inside them. You could strip them naked, drop them on an alien planet without a weapon or clue, and they’d still be powerful. Hopefully, they still have their own quirks, their own unique worldviews that allow me to explore different viewpoints, their own likes and dislikes. At their core, though, I hope, my MMCs are good, strong, noble men.
Thanks so much for your time, Immy. Keep up the great work!
Immy’s Blog Site:
The Rambling Muse 
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